From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia:

Badlands National Park is a national park in southwestern South Dakota that protects 242,756 acres (379.306 sq. mi; 98,240 ha) of sharply eroded buttes, pinnacles, and spires blended with the largest undisturbed mixed grass prairie in the United States. The park is managed by the National Park Service.

The Badlands Wilderness protects 64,144 acres (100.225 sq. mi; 25,958 ha) of the park as a designated wilderness area and is the site of the reintroduction of the black-footed ferret, the most endangered land mammal in North America.

The South Unit, or Stronghold Unit, is co-managed with the Oglala Lakota tribe and includes sites of 1890s Ghost Dances, a former United States Air Force bomb and gunnery range, and Red Shirt Table, the park’s highest point at 3,340 feet (1,020 m).

Authorized as Badlands National Monument on March 4, 1929, it was not established until January 25, 1939. It was redesignated a national park on November 10, 1978.

Under the Mission 66 plan, the Ben Reifel Visitor Center was constructed for the monument in 1957–58. The park also administers the nearby Minuteman Missile National Historic Site.

Prior to entering the national park we visited the Minuteman Missile National Historic Site.

While many of the Minuteman II silos were destroyed 150 of them were converted to Minuteman III silos.

In these slide shows it is worthwhile to pay attention to the stratification layers and how the light affects the colors.  The scenery is constantly changing as the clouds shift.  There is also some wildlife to be seen.

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It was an awesome place to visit.  With our National Parks Pass the price was right – $0.00.  We had a great day and capped it with a visit to Dairy Queen on the way back to our quarters.  I had a banana split for dinner.

We departed Sioux Falls around 10 A.M. after a hearty breakfast at the Fryn’ pan.  Our destination, 341 miles away, via I-90 W is the Pine Tree Inn, Ellsworth Air Force Base, Rapid City, SD.  We will spend 3 nights there and it will be our base for day trips to the surrounding area.  Enroute we will be shifting to Mountain Time giving us an hour of slack time.

Shortly after noon just short of crossing the Missouri River we stopped at a rest area that overlooked the river.  The scenery was gorgeous and we spent nearly an hour there.

The enormous sculpture called “Dignity” at this site is overwhelming.  I have never seen anything like it before.  It is unforgettable.  You can imagine the size of this sculpture comparing to Jeanne who is sitting on the base of it.  The entire sculpture is stainless steel.  The 128 diamonds are 4 feet across and covered with 7 coats of paint.  LED lights within her highlight the diamonds on the quilt at night. Dignity is 50 feet tall, 32 feet wide and 27,000 pounds.

Soon after departure we crossed the Missouri River and continued westward.

Those of you who have travelled along I-95 between NC and GA are probably too familiar with the South of the Border signs and facility at the north end of SC.  Back in the day it was a lively place and attracted thousands of tourists.  Our children loved the place.  It has gotten tired & a bit on the seedy side.  We don’t see much business there when take that route north or south going to CT or FL.  The South Dakota version is Wall Drug.  The signs start long before you get there.

We stopped at Pedro’s the first time we went to SC on I-95 so there is a tradition to be followed and we went into Wall to see Wall Drug and have lunch.  Expectations were not very high and we were not disappointed.  Lunch followed that trend; Jeanne said her taco salad was “unlike anything I have ever had” i.e. awful.  Whatever I had, I put behind me and have to say Jeanne hit the nail on the head.   For safety reasons I did not do any after lunch pictures.

We arrived at Ellsworth Air Force Base before 4 P.M. and settled into our quarters.  Jeanne went to the commissary and exchange to pick up groceries and supplies.  After our lunch experience it was nice to dine in.

Sunday, May 21 brought cloudy skies, some sunshine and rising temperatures.  Along with the rain it had been cold the past couple of days.  We opted to skip the complimentary breakfast & crowd of strange people that go with it.  Most of the time we find them amusing but, at other times not so much.  It was one of those days.  For example: yesterday a young lady & her friend were having a discussion in the corner by the toaster about their dates the night before.  They were oblivious to the fact no one could get in the corner to get bread, butter, rolls, pastry or use the toaster.  When I said “excuse me, may I get to the toaster” they looked at me like I was deranged and continued their conversation.  A nearby male, who was also waiting, just bumped into them, spilt a bit of his coffee on them & said “excuse me I didn’t see you standing there”.  I had a hard time not laughing.  Every day there is something similar happening.

We hit the road around 11 A.M. heading up I-29 N about 178 miles through Sioux City and onto Sioux Falls to spend the night.  We stopped in Sioux City and chose to eat some of McDonald’s great but, not so good for you, sausage biscuits.  Every once in a while we have to have a fix.  Actually you don’t have a lot of options travelling along I-29 in Nebraska, Iowa or later South Dakota.  As we were travelling north in Iowa we surprised by a road sign that advertised skiing at the next exit.  Looking around the highest hill we could see was no more than 500 feet tall.  Iowa has some strange signs.  I love this one.

My interpretation is that they have wireless internet vending machines.  Next time I pass through I will give one of them a test drive.  Here is another one for a steamboat exhibit which seems rather odd for this part of the country.  The things we learn on these road trips.

As we travel along it’s obvious that Iowa has had more rain than it needs as a lot of the farmland is flooded over.

We entered South Dakota about 1:24 P.M.

We stopped in Elk Point to visit Heritage Park where Lewis & Clark camped during their survey of the Missouri River.  The sign proclaims it is the site of  “The First Election West of the Mississippi River”.  One of the non-commissioned officers who was part of this expedition had died.  A replacement was elected.  As Will Rogers said “those are the facts, I just report them”.

We arrived at the SpringHill Suites in Sioux Falls at 3:00 P.M.  Later that evening we enjoyed a superb meal at the Fryn’ Pan a local family restaurant.

Friday, May 199 we left Des Moines around noon and headed for I-80 W for the 163 mile trip to the downtown Omaha Residence Inn.  The sky was overcast and rain was the forecast.  We nearly made it to Omaha before it started raining.  The only thing exciting on the trip was “The Little House On The Prairie” being moved down the road.  We are after all a mobile society.

We did a little dinner shopping at Sam’s Club which ended up being a bottle of wine with some cheese and crackers.  Life is good on the road.  That night we did the couch potato thing catching some end of the season shows.  Looking to be a great weekend.

We slept in and caught the last of the complimentary breakfast just before 10 A.M.  The forecast was for continuing rain.  I decided it would be a good day to work on some genealogy in preparation for a forthcoming week in Salt Lake City next month.  Jeanne opted to venture out and find an ATM to replenish our dwindling funds.  Apparently there isn’t a Chase bank within walking distance of our hotel so she chose to do the First National Bank Walking Tour of sculptures.  She wasn’t going to let it rain on her parade; amazing what an umbrella can do.  She returned a couple hours later with a glow on her face and a phone full of new pictures.  Oh, she did replenish our funds; there was an ATM in the lobby downstairs.

Late in the afternoon the rain abated and we strolled downtown to find a place to dine.  Jimmy’s Way had an interesting advertising twist.  They weren’t open so we could not take advantage of the opportunity.

Nearby we found The Tavern where I had an excellent hamburger and Jeanne had a turkey salad that she found to be “different”.

Wednesday, May 17 we departed Independence, MO shortly after noon bound for Des Moines, IA.  Why Des Moines?  Well, part of this year’s road trip is to go where either of us has never been before, or would like to go back and see more.  As a native of Maine who spent my naval career stationed on the east coast there is a lot that I have not seen west of the Mississippi.  Jeanne, being from Chicago has travelled in the west but would like to see more of it.  If all goes well, by the time we finish this year’s road trip, both of us will have visited all 50 states.  So we are zigzagging our way across the western part of the USA in some cases just to say we have been there.  Des Moines may appear to be one of those places but, it is not the only reason.  The Hoover Presidential Library & Museum in West Branch, IA is an excellent day trip along the interstate.  We arrived at the Residence Inn shortly after 4 P.M. and had a pleasant evening in the downtown Des Moines area.

Thursday, May 18 we partook of the Residence Inn complimentary breakfast and headed towards West Branch shortly after 10 A.M.  From Wikipedia: The Herbert Hoover Presidential Library and Museum is the presidential library and final resting place of Herbert Clark Hoover, the 31st President of the United States (1929–1933), located on the grounds of the Herbert Hoover National Historic Site in West Branch, Iowa. The library is one of thirteen presidential libraries run by the National Archives and Records Administration.

In 1954, a group of Hoover’s friends incorporated the Herbert Hoover Birthplace Foundation to raise money for the preservation of his birthplace and the area around it, and to plan for improvements to the site. One of their ideas was to build a small museum, and with Hoover’s approval work began in the late 1950s. The architectural firm of Eggers and Higgins of New York drew the plans for the original building, a modest limestone structure of just over 4,000 square feet. While the museum at West Branch was still under construction, Hoover decided to expand it and to make it his Presidential Library.

The Library-Museum was officially dedicated and opened to the public on August 10, 1962, Hoover’s 88th birthday.

We learned a great deal about & developed a respectful admiration of Herbert Hoover on this visit.  His moral values, dedication & service to mankind, as well as his devotion to his country serve as a standard that our citizens and the world could benefit from.

We were exhausted by the time we returned to our room at the Residence Inn in downtown Des Moines.  We decided to have a Chinese takeout dinner delivered to the room.  If you are in Des Moines we highly recommend Cheng’s Garden as the food was exceptionally good.

When we travel to an area that has professional baseball we try to get tickets at a reasonable price to see a game.  With Kansas City in town for a series Jeanne hoped to get us tickets.  It was not to be.  Best she could do, without putting us in the I can’t see the ball when they pitch bleachers, was tickets for $240.  Rather absurd in my opinion.  Sometimes I feel that I am losing touch with reality and this is one of those occasions.  Back in the 70s I could take the whole family (6 of us) to a ball game at Fenway, including the parking and food, for less than $200.  Maybe that helps explain why today’s children spend so much time playing video games.  Only the very wealthy can afford to expose their children to entertainment outside the home.

There is good value to be found in the Presidential Libraries Pass.  For a one time fee of $30.00 Jeanne & I are able to visit the libraries free of charge.  So on this day we are off to the Harry S. Truman Presidential Library & Museum.

The Harry S. Truman Presidential Library and Museum is the presidential library and resting place of Harry S. Truman, the 33rd President of the United States (1945–1953), located on U.S. Highway 24 in Independence, Missouri. It was the first presidential library to be created under the provisions of the 1955 Presidential Libraries Act, and is one of thirteen presidential libraries administered by the National Archives and Records Administration.

Monday, May 15th we departed Wichita at 8:15 A.M. bound for Independence, MO with a scheduled stop along the way in Abilene, KS at the Dwight D. Eisenhower Library & Museum.  We chose a zigzag route along country roads to Abilene to alleviate the boredom of the interstate highway with the hopes of enjoying more rewarding scenery and gaining more insight to rural life in Kansas.  I believe we chose wisely.

The Dwight D. Eisenhower Presidential Library, Museum and Boyhood Home is the presidential library and museum of Dwight David Eisenhower, the 34th President of the United States (1953–1961), located in his hometown of Abilene, Kansas. The museum also includes his boyhood home, where he lived from 1898 until being appointed to West Point in 1911,^[1] and his final resting place. It is one of the thirteen presidential libraries under the auspices of the National Archives and Records Administration.  (From Wikipedia)

We left Abilene and took the quick route via the interstate to arrive at the Residence Inn in downtown Independence, MO at 6:19 P.M. having put another 267 miles behind us.  For the immediate family – note there is a place called Eudora in Kansas.

In preparing for this year’s road trip I aspired to keep the blog current by posting daily.  Here we are nearly four weeks after departure and I am obviously somewhat behind.  So much for good intentions.  In real life I have decided that enjoying the trip will come first.

We departed Nashville, TN shortly after 8 A.M. on Wednesday, May 10th.  The destination is Memphis with a planned direct route diversion to Shiloh Military National Park.  The scenery along the secondary roads is beautiful.  The extreme blue sky at the top of the pictures is from our tinted windshield.

For those who may be interested in knowing more about the battle of Shiloh visit the Wikipedia website at:  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Shiloh

The visitor’s center has a great film describing the battles.  The grounds are exceptionally well kept and there is an extensive automobile tour with many stops & walking trails  allowing an in depth exploration of the facility.  The two day battle covered a large area.   This is a must see park.

There is also a National Cemetery within the park.

The major effect of the Battle of Shiloh was that the Union Army gained control of the railroad depot in the town of Corinth, Mississippi just south of Shiloh.  We visited Corinth and then took the secondary roads into Memphis.

We arrived at the SpringHill Suites in downtown Memphis about 7:30 P.M.  After settling into our room we went to the Mesquite ChopHouse for dinner.  The building was probably built in the late 1800s, had a high ceiling, interesting features and was clean and cozy.  It was well suited for a late, relaxing & quiet dinner.  The food was on the pricey side with my New York Sirloin at $40 and Jeanne’s Filet being the same.  Everything on the menu was a-la-carte.  The steaks and wine were excellent.  What was not so good was my scalloped potatoes.  What they called scalloped potatoes was a baked potato sliced 7/8ths of the way through with melted cheese on top of it.  In my opinion this was a sink chef.   I did not let it spoil my evening but you can be assure I will not go back for another visit or recommend the place to friends.

We slept in the next morning and strolled around town for a while before we decided to enter the Blue Plate Cafe for brunch based on the recommendation of the Memphis “Blue Patrol”.  This is an organization of volunteer who patrol the downtown area looking for visitors to help find things and answer questions they may have about the area.  What a great idea and service to the community.  Brunch in the home style restaurant was good and we went back to our room to plan the rest of the day.

Jeanne:  Graceland was originally on our list of “must see touristy things to do” – until we saw the ticket prices!  If you want the full deal tour of everything there it will cost you $98.75 per person, BUT you do get front of the line mansion tour access AND a keepsake Backstage Pass.  If you don’t need all the frills you can opt for the $62.50 tour. Sadly, you do not get the Exclusive VIP exhibit, front of the line mansion access or the keepsake backstage pass.  If you just want to tour the mansion be prepared to spend $38.75. You can, however, add another $5.00 to see Elvis’ Airplanes.  Since the Presley family doesn’t think that you have spent enough money, there is a Facility Fee of $3.00 added to every ticket, no matter what one you bought. What is a Facility Fee you might ask? Don’t know, it is just an item in the VERY SMALL print at the end of the ticket info page.  We opted to miss this opportunity.

So we mostly hung out & enjoyed downtown Memphis.

Friday, May 12th we headed towards Little Rock, AR.

We arrived in Little Rock early enough to visit the President William Jefferson Clinton Library prior to going to our quarters at the Razorback Inn on Little Rock Air Force Base.  The library is a beautiful facility overlooking the Arkansas River.  It is very well organized and the displays are arranged in chronological order during the years of his presidency.  Memorabilia from childhood through presidency abound.  Heavy rain prevented outside picture taking of the building & grounds.

Jeanne sitting in the President’s chair in the Cabinet Room.

After checking in and getting settled into our quarters (even though I retired from the Navy 33 years ago they are still quarters to me) we decided to head to Papa John’s for a pizza.  We’ve been longing to try one for quite some time.  There aren’t any where we live in CT or FL.  It turned out to be amusing.  Most of the staff was new and not fully trained.  Along with being busy they were overwhelmed with duties.  A poor airman who was picking up 3 orders beside his own found that 3 of the 4 orders was incorrect so they had to be redone.  Meanwhile as the pizzas stacked up coming out of the automated oven they rolled onto the floor.  It was hilarious, but not so funny.  The line of customers were understandably upset.  We waited longer than we should have for our pizza but it turned out to be worth the wait.

Saturday, May 13th was an administrative & housekeeping day.  Laundry accumulates, bills still have to be paid, pictures need to be organized & edited and there is a blog to write.  Besides, you need time to just “hang out” and enjoy the moment.

Sunday, May 14th – Mother’s Day found us underway early for Wichita, KS.  We rolled along through Arkansas, Oklahoma and finally into Kansas.  With 454 miles behind us we checked into our quarters at the Air Capital Inn, McConnell Air Force Base, Wichita, KS.  We found a great, very crowded, family restaurant called the Red Rock Canyon Grill and celebrated Mother’s Day.

We left Barefoot Bay, Florida about 6 P.M. Tuesday, May 2nd for a planned 3 1/2 month road trip.  As usual we had crammed too much into our schedule which delayed our planned morning departure.  By the time we left all we wanted to do is get on the road.  Fortunately our first scheduled overnight stop was at the Jacksonville Naval Air Station only 190 miles away.  It felt good to put some miles behind us.

We did some last minute shopping at the Navy Exchange prior to departure for Atlanta.

We spent three nights in downtown Atlanta.  At 5 A.M. every morning we were wakened by the sound of dumpsters being emptied and dropped back onto the pavement.  It sounded like they were dropping boulders into the dumpsters.  Not good; and the experience explained why there was a package of ear plugs in my nightstand.  We relaxed, explored downtown and Jeanne managed to get us good tickets to a baseball game between the Braves & the Mets.  I was elated because the Boston Braves were my team when I was growing up.  Nearly all of my friends were Red Sox fans.  This was going to be my first, live,  Braves game.  Unfortunately the game was rained out in the top of the 3rd inning with the Mets leading 3 – 1.  It took the head umpire 2 hours to postpone the game.  It was definitely raining on our parade in Atlanta.  The next day was brighter as we visited the Woodruff Arts Center & the High Museum of Art.  The art & displays were exceptionally clean and well maintained.  It was well worth the visit.  An added pleasure was an outstanding dinner of soup & salad in their dining facility capped with a good glass of wine.

Saturday, May 6th found us bound for Chattanooga, TN.  On the way into town we rode the Incline Railway to the top of Lookout Mountain for spectacular views.

Our accommodations for the night were at a relatively new SpringHill Suites with a view overlooking the Tennessee River.  They were superb.  At the recommendation of our friend Joseph DiFiore we visited the Terminal Brewhouse and enjoyed a nice Belgian White along with great soup & salad.

The next morning prior to leaving Chattanooga we went to Rock City to get another view from Lookout Mountain.  It was spectacular as the weather turned out to be perfect giving us a view of from left to right: Tennessee, Kentucky, Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia & Alabama.

We descended Lookout Mountain and headed for Nashville.  Enroute we decided to leave the beaten path along I-24 and headed for Lynchburg, home of the Jack Daniel Distillery.  Before my father-in-law, Bill Sims, introduced me to single malt scotch, I was known to enjoy a sip now and then of fine Tennessee Bourbon, and there is none finer than Jack Daniel’s.  The four hour tour was great and of course capped off by a tasting.  Hard to think of a better way to travel in the U.S.A.

We arrived in Nashville about 7:30 P.M. Sunday evening and settled into our hotel for the next three nights.  Monday it was close to lunch time before we headed for the strip to do some sightseeing.  What should we find along the way but a White Castle.  Well Chicago girl, AKA Jeanne, jammed on the brakes and pulled into the parking lot and declared “it’s lunch time.”  So sliders it was before visiting music city.  After lunch we took the 1 1/2 hour ride on the hop on/hop off trolley.  We always do this when there is an Old Town Trolley available in the area we are visiting.  It gives a great overview of the area and helps us decide on what we will visit.  There is no additional charge for getting on and off.  Nashville is a busy city with lots of visitors and places to see, so we blended right in and did the tourist thing.  The following day we planned on visiting the Ryman Museum, Johnny Cash Museum and the Country Music Hall of Fame.  We lingered enjoying the experience of the first two and decided to leave the Country Music Hall of Fame for another day as it was getting late.  Here is a picture of our performance at the Ryman Museum.